SANDY — Hailee Strandgard’s desire to give homeless people a Christmas started with a lot of questions.

Last year, 7-year-old Hailee’s mother, Trishell Strandgard, was doing an internship at a day clinic for the homeless. Naturally caring and also curious, she “just asked a lot of questions” of her mother about homelessness. She wanted to know about them and their situation, and particularly, if Santa visited them.

“It made me sad that they just didn’t have anything,” Hailee said.

Wanting to help them, she approached her mother.

“She asked me ‘Mom, can I give them all my toys for Christmas?’ I told her she could give them whatever she wanted. And she said, ‘Do you think I could ask other people to help?’ ” Trishell said. “It was really heart-touching to know that my 6-year-old daughter was so in-tune with other people’s needs. I was shocked at first. Most 6-year-olds don’t think of stuff like that. I just cried.”

Trishell said her daughter is always caring for other people, wanting to give her allowance to people on the corner and is generous to people in need.

“She’s a wonderful little girl and we’re blessed to have her in our life. She helps me and her dad be better people every day,” Trishell said.

In 2012, the family put together a charity drive, gathering blankets, toys and stuffed animals. They gathered about a pickup truck bed full of donations for the Road Home.

This year, the first-grader hopes to gather more than last year, as well as get enough donations to make 150 sandwiches for the Salvation Army. The Strandgards are collecting blankets, toys and stuffed animals again, in addition to deodorant, toothbrushes, toothpaste and canned food. So far, they have collected about twice what they did last year.

“She’s just worked really hard to make it bigger than last year. She’s really worried about people going without for Christmas,” Trishell said.

The Strandgards are collecting the items now through Dec. 3. They can be reached by by email at [email protected].

Ask your vet about microchipping. ~ It could have saved Kuhio's life. And it cost Halo hers.Ask your vet about Polycystic kidney disease ~~ Rest in peace WillyLoved by Lisa

No need to do away with the hipster wardrobe, Arthur and August – the 'Subway Kittens' have permanently moved to Brooklyn.

In August, the feline duo stopped service along New York City's B and Q lines for several hours when they somehow managed to find their way onto the subway tracks. Following their rescue, the pair was fostered by Steven Liu, a 25-year-old Bushwick, N.Y., resident, and his roommates to prepare them for adoption. "They're still really shy. I think they've been stray for a while," he told the Daily News at the time.

Last week, roughly six weeks after their rescue, Animal Care & Control designated them ready to be brought home by a loving family – and Katherine and Keith Lubeley rose to the occasion. The married couple tell New York magazine they were immediately interested in bringing home the pair.

"We had been thinking about adopting rescue cats for a while and specifically wanted two bonded kittens, so it wasn't out of the blue," said the couple. "Just perfect timing. And these two have a crazy special bond!"

Keep up with your favorite celebs in the pages of PEOPLE Magazine by subscribing now.

And with a few days under their belts in their new surroundings, Arthur and August seem to be adjusting well, as evidenced by the photos Katherine has shared on her Twitter feed.

"They've found all the apartment's soft, sunny places and quiet nooks," said the couple. "They are having a rollicking good time getting to know their new kingdom."

What good news.. And what a great conclusion to the whole story!

May you all live long and happy lives together, Arthur, August, Katherine, and Keith Lubeley!!!

I meant," said Ipslore bitterly, "what is there in this world that truly makes living worthwhile?"
Death thought about it.
CATS, he said eventually. CATS ARE NICE.

I'm a sucker for men who love animals. Especially cats. This story touched my heart.

I am a Merchant Marine Officer and when I reported to one of the ships I worked on, someone mentioned they had a cat on board. I didn't believe this at first, but finally saw her racing down the passageway one day. I also found out the Captain had ordered her to be found and thrown overboard, but the crew had been "unable" to find her. When I asked the Captain this point blank, he said she was feral, mean and spiteful. I love all animals, so I loaded up at first port with every treat and toy in stock at Walmart I think, and proceeded to try and win this frightened kitty over. I knocked out the panel in my stateroom door and set up for her. As she had a way out, it wasn't too hard to coax her in, and before I knew it, she was waiting at my door every night when I got off work and was in my bed until I fell asleep, so happy for attention. My wife said no matter what you do, don't leave her there, and I didn't. I managed to get her off the ship when I signed off, and flew her home to be with us. One month after getting her home, I took a picture of her curled up between my dogs legs and sent it to the Captain who told me how "feral" she was. Bridgette has now been with us over 10 years. Healthy, sweet and loving and I never regretted any part of bringing her home from that ship.

John Ratcliffe
Tuftonboro, NH

Ask your vet about microchipping. ~ It could have saved Kuhio's life. And it cost Halo hers.Ask your vet about Polycystic kidney disease ~~ Rest in peace WillyLoved by Lisa

I'm a sucker for men who love animals. Especially cats. This story touched my heart.

I am a Merchant Marine Officer and when I reported to one of the ships I worked on, someone mentioned they had a cat on board. I didn't believe this at first, but finally saw her racing down the passageway one day. I also found out the Captain had ordered her to be found and thrown overboard, but the crew had been "unable" to find her. When I asked the Captain this point blank, he said she was feral, mean and spiteful. I love all animals, so I loaded up at first port with every treat and toy in stock at Walmart I think, and proceeded to try and win this frightened kitty over. I knocked out the panel in my stateroom door and set up for her. As she had a way out, it wasn't too hard to coax her in, and before I knew it, she was waiting at my door every night when I got off work and was in my bed until I fell asleep, so happy for attention. My wife said no matter what you do, don't leave her there, and I didn't. I managed to get her off the ship when I signed off, and flew her home to be with us. One month after getting her home, I took a picture of her curled up between my dogs legs and sent it to the Captain who told me how "feral" she was. Bridgette has now been with us over 10 years. Healthy, sweet and loving and I never regretted any part of bringing her home from that ship.

John Ratcliffe
Tuftonboro, NH

I'm reading this, thinking where did I see this? Oh yeah!! On the Pet Rescue Site this morning!! I loved it too!!

Our goal in life should be - to be as good a person as our dog thinks we are.
Thank you for the siggy, Michelle!

I'm a sucker for men who love animals. Especially cats. This story touched my heart.

I am a Merchant Marine Officer and when I reported to one of the ships I worked on, someone mentioned they had a cat on board. I didn't believe this at first, but finally saw her racing down the passageway one day. I also found out the Captain had ordered her to be found and thrown overboard, but the crew had been "unable" to find her. When I asked the Captain this point blank, he said she was feral, mean and spiteful. I love all animals, so I loaded up at first port with every treat and toy in stock at Walmart I think, and proceeded to try and win this frightened kitty over. I knocked out the panel in my stateroom door and set up for her. As she had a way out, it wasn't too hard to coax her in, and before I knew it, she was waiting at my door every night when I got off work and was in my bed until I fell asleep, so happy for attention. My wife said no matter what you do, don't leave her there, and I didn't. I managed to get her off the ship when I signed off, and flew her home to be with us. One month after getting her home, I took a picture of her curled up between my dogs legs and sent it to the Captain who told me how "feral" she was. Bridgette has now been with us over 10 years. Healthy, sweet and loving and I never regretted any part of bringing her home from that ship.

John Ratcliffe
Tuftonboro, NH

God bless you, John Ratcliffe.

I meant," said Ipslore bitterly, "what is there in this world that truly makes living worthwhile?"
Death thought about it.
CATS, he said eventually. CATS ARE NICE.

Nurses in Children's Cancer Unit Encourage Their Patients to Be 'Brave'

Fun is a priority at this Minnesota children's hospital.

Two nurses in the cancer unit at the University of Minnesota Amplatz Children's Hospital recognized that good health care is more than just measuring stats and giving meds, but also keeping up the kids' spirits. So they decided to make a music video to the song "Brave" by Sara Bareilles, and feature their patients in the starring roles.

The video, which has since gone viral, also features 70 staff members singing and dancing, LEX18 reports.

"There aren't always bad times, like you know, you need to be able to laugh about it," Sarah Ewald, a patient battling cancer for the second time, said. "You need to have fun."

Ask your vet about microchipping. ~ It could have saved Kuhio's life. And it cost Halo hers.Ask your vet about Polycystic kidney disease ~~ Rest in peace WillyLoved by Lisa

Hospital stays can be really scary when you're a kid. Luckily for this little boy, he got to bring along a friend.

Joshua, 9, had severe reflux as a baby, and recently had to undergo an endoscopy. For comfort, he clutched his favorite toy, a little stuffed wolf pup.

While he was under anesthesia, pediatric gastroenterologist Christine Hurtado took a few minutes to sew up a small tear in the animal's fur, and marked a little "intravenous site" with a Band-Aid. When the procedure was over, she sent the wolf out with a little mask and gloves on his paws.

Joshua's dad, Kevin Wade, said Hurtado's small gesture delighted his son. "That stuffed animal means the world to him, that's his baby, and to know they thought enough of him to take care of his little baby is sweet," he told a CNN producer.

Hurtado says part of her job is to make the hospital environment seem a little less intimidating, and she has "operated" on a lot of stuffed animals so kids wouldn't feel like they were alone. "Being part of a children's hospital, they really encourage us to go that little extra bit to make a difference for families and kids."

Joshua is now doing much better, thanks to a special diet, and a few days after he got home from the hospital he took the bandages off his wolf friend and declared him "all better."

Ask your vet about microchipping. ~ It could have saved Kuhio's life. And it cost Halo hers.Ask your vet about Polycystic kidney disease ~~ Rest in peace WillyLoved by Lisa

"I'm sorry, you said your truck was stolen?" the dispatcher interpreted.

"No, I'm trying to...my...my wedding dress!"

What happened next was like a real-life version of "The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants." Candice, the dispatcher, felt horrible for Amanda. The 911 operator had just gotten married a year and a half before, and she had a perfectly good wedding dress sitting in her parents' closet.

A perfectly good wedding dress. From the same store Amanda had bought hers. In almost the same size that Amanda wore. It was almost too perfect to be true.

Candice talked to her manager and got permission to offer Amanda her wedding dress as a stand-in. With the help of Candice's husband, the group managed to get the dress to Amanda before she got married.

The dress fit. The day was saved. And two random women became friends for life thanks to some kindness and quick thinking.

The two ladies got to meet face-to-face shortly after Amanda's wedding day, and Amanda had some warm words for Candice on "Good Morning America."

"I want you to know you're seriously an amazing person and not a lot of people would have done that," she said.

For Candice, it was an easy choice. After all, it just seemed like fate.

“If I hadn’t taken that call, I wouldn’t have heard about it. If she wasn’t my size, it wouldn’t have worked. If my husband had gone camping instead of staying home, I couldn’t have gotten to the dress," Candice told the News Tribune. "God does awesome things, and this woman, whose wedding day might have been ruined, had her special day, after all.”

Ask your vet about microchipping. ~ It could have saved Kuhio's life. And it cost Halo hers.Ask your vet about Polycystic kidney disease ~~ Rest in peace WillyLoved by Lisa

It was supposed to be a welcome break from work for British police officer Howard Groves, who arrived last March for a week of sightseeing in New York City with girlfriend Rachel Double. But stepping out of their Manhattan hotel on just their second morning in town, the pair heard shouts from a nearby store. "I went into police mode right away," says Groves, a detective inspector in the London suburb of Uxbridge. "I started to walk across the street, but I remember thinking, 'Whoa, this is New York, be careful.' "

Very careful. Next thing he knew a man burst out of the shop. "He was running toward me covered in blood, shouting, 'Help, help, they're trying to rob me,' " says Groves. When two suspects emerged from the shop and began walking calmly down the street, Groves barked at them. One took off, but the other glared at Groves, then pulled a gun from a paper bag. "Without saying anything—bang!" recalls Groves. "The shot echoed around the buildings."

Unhurt, he and Double, 28, ducked back into their hotel lobby. But Groves, who like most British policemen has never carried a firearm on duty—and had never before been shot at—refused to give up. He followed the two men and quickly came upon a parked patrol car. Hailing an officer and identifying himself as a cop, he headed toward a subway stop where the suspects had fled. "I ran into the subway thinking, 'This is not happening to me,' " he says. One suspect jumped onto the tracks and escaped, but Groves—now with three NYPD cops—spotted the other and helped wrestle him to the ground, seize his gun and handcuff him. Only later, during a press conference, did fear get the better of Groves. "There was a sea of photographers clicking away," he says. "My knees were shaking."

Ask your vet about microchipping. ~ It could have saved Kuhio's life. And it cost Halo hers.Ask your vet about Polycystic kidney disease ~~ Rest in peace WillyLoved by Lisa

Andrew Stoloff Gives Recovering Addicts and Ex-Convicts Jobs At His Second Chance Bakery
On paper, Andrew Stoloff knew it made no sense to buy Rubicon Bakery in Richmond, Calif.

But the former Wall Street analyst's decision to take over the failing business in 2009 and save the jobs of its 14 part-time employees – most of whom were recovering drug addicts or ex-convicts – had little to do with dollars or cents.

"I fell in love with its mission: to give people a second chance," says Stoloff, 53.

Today, the wholesale bakery has $8 million in sales and 80 full-time employees, who earn between $8.50 and $24 an hour, receive health insurance, paid vacation and have access to an interest-free employee loan program.

"Not only are we doing the right thing by giving people a second chance," says Stoloff, "but I've found that it's great for business."

It's also great for the employees.

"It was like God sent Andrew to this bakery," says Sheila Young-Eberhart, 55, the bakery's quality assurance manager and one of the original 14 employees who worked for the shop when it was run by a nonprofit.

Before Stoloff stepped in, the bakery was in bad shape.

"We knew we could lose our jobs at any moment," says Eberhart, a former drug addict who was determined to turn her life around.

Then Andrew came in. "He's saved a lot of lives," says Eberhart.

The main reason? "Our employees are very, very loyal," says Stoloff.

They're people like David Johnson, 44, the bakery's maintenance technician. An ex-convict, Johnson says, he struggled to find work.

"I couldn't even count how many times I'd been turned down," he says, adding that, at Rubicon Bakery, he finally feels at home.

"I actually feel like I belong here. I've never felt like that in my entire life."

"Andrew has always been there for us," adds his wife, Leslie Johnson, 45, who works as an oven manager at the bakery. "You couldn't ask for a better boss."

Ask your vet about microchipping. ~ It could have saved Kuhio's life. And it cost Halo hers.Ask your vet about Polycystic kidney disease ~~ Rest in peace WillyLoved by Lisa

There are days when former Marine Sergeant Andrew Litz can't bear the sounds of his two young children playing in their two-bedroom apartment in suburban Dallas, when his wife, Heather, reminds them that Daddy's head hurts.

But on this October afternoon, the sturdy, intense former soldier is imagining a new life: one of calm connection with his family.

Standing in the yard of the brand-new home in Gunter, Texas, that will soon be theirs, he smiles. "This," he says quietly, "is a place where I can heal."

More than just bricks and mortar, the house is a safe haven, with five bedrooms and four baths. (Make a donation to help veterans like Andrew Litz, and charities like Operation Finally Home. Tune in to the Homeward Bound Telethon Sunday, Nov. 10 on the Military Channel, or visit HomewardBoundTelethon.org)

Since April 20, 2005, when an improvised explosive device in Ramadi, Iraq, killed two of his buddies and left him with a fractured back and neck, traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress disorder, Litz, 32, Heather, 29, and kids Zachary, 8, and Madison, 6, have struggled, often living in various rental properties.

Last edited by kuhio98; 11-06-2013 at 05:36 PM.

Ask your vet about microchipping. ~ It could have saved Kuhio's life. And it cost Halo hers.Ask your vet about Polycystic kidney disease ~~ Rest in peace WillyLoved by Lisa

Dean says when he recovers from the surgery he plans to throw a party and invite everyone who offered to donate.

What the story doesn't mention is that his act could save more lives than his own. Anyone who gets tested then becomes part of the national database, and if they do not match him, may match some future person in need!

I signed up to be an organ donor when I first got my driver's license - when I'm done with these parts, I hope they can go to good use!

What the story doesn't mention is that his act could save more lives than his own. Anyone who gets tested then becomes part of the national database, and if they do not match him, may match some future person in need!

I signed up to be an organ donor when I first got my driver's license - when I'm done with these parts, I hope they can go to good use!

I signed my donor card too. And testing revealed that I'm a match for my mother who will need a kidney transplant in the near future.

Ask your vet about microchipping. ~ It could have saved Kuhio's life. And it cost Halo hers.Ask your vet about Polycystic kidney disease ~~ Rest in peace WillyLoved by Lisa